Earth 93 - The Deep
The Deepsea Ecology In the distant past, humanoid creatures discovered an underground ocean that connects many cave systems. Because of high radiation (due to submerged isotopes) and high temperatures (due to nearby magma flows) the Deepsea produces a lot of light through Cherenkov Radiation. This light in turn feeds a great deal of algae (and thus indirectly cave fish) and also feeds a variety of lichens and plants within the caves and also provides a lasting supply of air for the many creatures from here. As a side effect, the radiation feeds a variety of mushrooms and other fungi. Cave animals eat the plants and each other. The Dwarves grow food in the Deepsea's light and hunt/herd cave animals. Dwarves Abilities and Charecteristics Living underground is what made them shorter. It allows them to sneak through narrower tunnels and passages. The oxygen underground would not be much less than above because of the algae in the Deepsea. They have eyes used to lower light, and certainly their eyes were used to the much bluer light of the Deepsea. They are a lot worse at distance running then humans because it would have been little advantage in a narrow cave environment. However, they trade that lower endurance for higher strength which would be useful since they would be manipulating metal and stone on a daily basis instead of wood and reeds.In the following millennia they discover agriculture and technology. They domesticate animals like boars, lizards, bats, and wolves. As their technology increases they find new methods of lighting. In early days they would probably bring great bowls of Deep Water into their homes. The water would stop glowing after a couple of days so it would have to be changed constantly. As they learn to burn coal and plants they can heat the Deep Water to keep it glowing for longer, also the fire would provide its own light. Culture Their biggest settlements are in caverns and fields at the Deepsea's edge, but as their technology improves they explored upwards and built smaller outposts until they eventually, around 2000 BC they rediscovered the surface and begin trade with humans and elves, which gave them a significant reason to build more cities further up. A large dwarven city consists of a set of tunnels and rooms carved into rock near/above the Deepsea, with lots of buildings constructed from the stone they excavated from the tunnels. They city would probably be surrounded by mosses, lichens, and even shrubs. The bigger cities would probably have small canals and irrigation built to bring water from the sea into the city's/farm's heart and provide cheaper lighting and more bountiful harvests. Cities further up are similar systems of houses and tunnels. Some have brought up water and radioactive minerals from the Deepsea to form an artifical pond at the center of their settlements around which they would grow food in suspended fields and conduct buisiness. The advent of electrical light would make cities further from the Deepsea a lot cheaper. Culture They have a similar relationship with metals as we do with wood. They make every day items out of metal since it is abundant while wood is rare. They value precious metals for the same reason humans do. While wood is almost as rare and valuable as silver by weight, but is a less effective commodity because it decays. In ancient times, the most valuable coins were polished chips of petrified wood. Dwarves have their own Adam and Eve story and consider the Deep Sea to be a holy land. The two most popular religions among the Dwarves is a monotheistic faith called Jahvehianism, and an anscestor worshiping polytheistic faith called The Path of the Deep Gods. They believe that seven of the 14 Deep Gods have prepared Afterlives for various Dwarves. The disciples of the Path worship Zhalkav the God of the Deepsea who they believe favors Dwarves above all others, Rezvarka, Goddess of the Deep Forges who they claim is Zhalkav's favored child, and the various Dwarven ancestors who they claim hold honored positions in the afterlife. Goblins Abilities and Characteristics Small, quick, and clever, the Goblins were originally a race of scavengers. They were scavengers of the Dwarves' and Trolls' society, and some were even kept as pets like dogs. That leads to centuries of racism. Unlike Dwarves, Goblins are reptilian. They are fast and clever where the dwarves are strong and honorable. The Goblins can climb walls like geckos. Culture The Goblins valuable commerce and re-use as much as the Dwarves value production and craftsmanship. Many Goblins also follow the faith of the 14 Deep Gods. They honor Zhalkav's wife Shaan, who they say was the true creator of the Deepsea, and they prefer her first child, Clokzul god of traders, thieves, and others who live by their wits. Economy Many Goblins live in small villages centering around pools of water taken from the Deepsea. Others live in ghettos built in houses carved in tunnels and Stalactites above Dwarven cities. Goblins grow and eat fungus much like the Dwarves. They have also domesticated many types of bugs which they used to hunt for regularly. In particular they domesticated a cousin of the mosquito which they bred to be larger and have smaller wings so that now it can't even fly. Other goblin cultures focus their culinary attentions on domesticated cockroaches. Many goblins work as traveling merchants, moving between towns and villages carrying supplies and goods. There is also a thriving Goblin criminal underworld, both below and above the ground. Trolls Abilities and Characteristics Trolls evolved in the Deepsea, an ecosystem in which there was both prey they had to fight, explaining their moments of aggression, and prey that was so fast that they had to ambush, explaining their patience and stony camouflage: Dwarves and Goblins. They are very big and clearly predator/combat oriented. This is because they adapted to an ecosystem with an abundance of large prey they had to hunt and compete for. Trolls are so ridiculously patient that they can stand still for so long that they are mistaken for statues, and evolved for colder conditions and are thus cold to the touch and are very heat efficient, which led many people to historically believe them to be walking stone statues. Trolls were originally shorter and less strong. They preyed on herbivores of the Deep Sea Caverns. The Dwarves had a pre-agricultural independent civilization before they discovered the Trolls. The Goblins adapted to be scavengers to both civilizations. When the three all came into contact the Trolls adapted to eat the Dwarves and Goblins, becoming better fighters and better ambushers for each type of prey. Economy Trolls have a very small population. They have only one major city: "Trullunheim" though they had many small villages. They maintain imperial control of other cities and villages where they have Dwarves, Goblins, and Salamanders herd animals for them. Dwarven propaganda claims they eat the residents of these cities but for the most part it is untrue. Culture Trolls follow a similar Pantheon of Deep Gods, though the names are very different. Shared History of the Deepsea Inhabitants The Goblins resented the pet status imposed on them by Dwarves and Trolls, a grudge extending to all current living goblins, which are the descendants of those Goblins domesticated by the Trolls. Around the time agriculture was developed the Dwarves became better able to defend themselves and the Goblins began an uprising. The Dwarves hate the Trolls because they preyed on them for centuries. The Trolls consider the Dwarves inferior upstarts who took the Deep Sea away from them. The Trolls regard Goblins as little more than cattle while the Goblins obviously hate the trolls for treating them like animals. The Dwarves see the Goblins as scavengers and thieves and probably have some examples of atrocities in their early history to justify later hatred, while the Goblins resent the Dwarves for not helping them and not letting them have land on the Deepsea, the Goblins consider themselves to be the ones that history never gave a real chance to. When agriculture was invented they all needed access to the limited area that borders the Deepsea because that's the best place to grow food. The Dwarves control 70% of the land area around and in islands within the Deepsea. The Trolls control 25%, the Goblins only control 5%.